Police have released the identity of a teenager who was shot and killed across the street from an Albuquerque school on Friday morning.
The shooting of 16-year-old Andrew Burson prompted a temporary lockdown of the school and a search for the suspect.
The Albuquerque Police department said Burson was shot near the football field close to the school, emphasizing that the shooter did not enter the school campus. A police officer attempted to keep Burson alive with emergency first aid, but without success.
Mayor Tim Keller, speaking at the scene, echoed police officers' comments that the current law, which considers it only a misdemeanor for a minor to possess a firearm, is inadequate
"The connection between juveniles with weapons is extremely dangerous," he said. "It's also something that we have to work on in our criminal justice system. Right now, we just do not have adequate tools to deal with a juvenile that we know has a firearm and how to keep them off the street, or how to get them safe and keep everyone else safe from them."
Keller and District Attorney Raúl Torrez, both Democrats, were among those who pushed for tougher gun laws during the recent legislative session. That included a failed measure that would have enhanced the charge of possession of a firearm by a minor to a felony rather than a misdemeanor, which does not require prosecutors to be notified.
The school was evacuated after a shelter in place order was lifted. Police have still not arrested a suspect in the homicide. Officers told reporters they believed a juvenile had committed the crime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
